“How is my campaign doing?” is one of the major questions that advertisers ask MediaMind. To help them gauge their performance, MediaMind publishes semi-annual Benchmarks which include aggregated performance averages of similar campaigns.

However, regardless of the performance of any given campaign, advertisers and agencies often ask “How can I do better?” “How can I increase my performance?” There is no silver bullet that can improve campaign performance, but there are a few rules of thumb.

To uncover the smartest practices that really do the work, MediaMind analyzed nearly 300,000 creatives and 100 billion impressions. We looked at variables such as the use of video, various ad formats, publisher content and even the use of tools like Dynamic Creative Optimization or buying on exchanges.

Results are surprising, and there are some smart tips that advertisers can implement and make a difference. Many of the best practice techniques yielded average performance improvement of 20-70%. For example, using Synched Ads improves average Dwell by 18% and average CTR by 54% on each of the ads presented on the page.

In addition to the seven best practices, the research includes average performance benchmarks for 50 countries, broken down by ad format and industry vertical. These can help display campaign managers to assess their performance.

To download the full report, click here and to download an infographic for easy reference, click here.

As people are spending less time with print magazines, online Display can offer an alternative powerful branding experience


Prada, Burberry, Diesel and H&M have spent ample time and money building their brands and becoming top of mind for their consumers. Other than catwalks, events and store placements, magazines have been a major avenue for delivering the desired image. Until recently, it was typically a mix of glossy paper, striking images of super-skinny models and high quality style that have maintained the image of the brands.





However, the fashion advertising market is facing a tectonic shift. According to eMarketer, in the past two years, users spent 25% less time reading newspapers and magazines, shifting towards Internet and mobile with increased time spent of 10% and 50% respectively. As users are spending less time with magazines, fashion advertisers need to find new ways of delivering a powerful branding experience. This can be done by taking advantage of display advertising.


Display Advertising is the topic of a presentation MediaMind will be presenting on November 22nd at the 2nd Sportswear International E-Fashion Summit 2011, which will take place in Frankfurt, Germany.


For fashion advertisers, Dwell is one of the most powerful metrics for measuring the effectiveness of their branding campaigns. Research shows that Dwell is linked to higher brand effectiveness, and is more relevant than just counting clicks.


What are the best practices for getting the highest result? It turns out that the creative is the single most important contributor for higher campaign results. According to comScore, great creative is four times more important than the media plan.


Furthermore, analysis shows that to increase Dwell, advertisers should include video in their creative. In addition, research has shown that dynamic creative optimization boosts Dwell by an average of 50%. Another step for boosting Dwell is choosing an effective ad format; Homepage Takeover, Expandable Banners and Instant Messenger Ads are on average above the benchmarks for Dwell.


The primary thesis of the presentation in Frankfurt is that Rich Media display advertising can create an equally, if not superior, memorable branding experience. Using the right creative with video and dynamic content can be as visually appealing and at times more powerful than a double spread magazine ad.






Ariel Geifman
Principal Analyst, MediaMind

The Telecom vertical is the second largest spender on online display advertising. Advertisers in the field are uniquely positioned to benefit from online advertising—plans and services can be easily sold online, and many consumers start researching plans and phones online.

Within display advertising, Rich Media has proven very successful in delivering the message to users. Telecom is the second highest vertical in terms of ad engagement. Out of every one million impressions that are served, 70K impressions are Dwelled, and 1,800 impressions are clicked on. Overall, every million impressions generate 5,300 conversions.


MediaMind research has now released a study to help Telecom advertisers understand what works best. The research analyzed billions of impressions that were served in the past year to develop best practices for generating the highest performance. These insights include:
• The best performing online placements and online environments.
• Which ad formats generate more breakthrough, and which engage users for longer.
• Which ad sizes receive the highest performance.
• The optimal number of exposures to avoid ad saturation.

In addition, the research contains detailed Telecom performance benchmarks by ad format and size for dozens of countries. These benchmarks show the expected performance from an online campaign. With the second highest rate of online engagement, Telecom display is proving an effective way to reach consumers—and to get a return call.

To download the full research, click here.

Inspector Gadget would have been dazzled to see that what was once only a part of his unique arsenal of gadgets is now widely available in every smartphone. Advertisers must have been surprised too, which may explain why many of them are just taking the first baby steps in mobile advertising, even though mobile ads reach one of every three consumers with smartphones. Nowadays, mobile is moving from the fringe to the mainstream, helped by the tailwind of higher performance and better ROI. According to eMarketer, mobile advertising spending is expected to double by 2014.


As in the early days of browser-based display, the innovation of mobile advertising elicits higher response from users. Mobile achieves the highest performance out of display ad formats for CTR, leaving Standard Banners in the dust. Mobile also outperforms browser based banners in branding performance.


In a new report on mobile advertising, MediaMind uncovers some of the best practices to help advertisers get the most value out of their mobile campaigns. These insights include:

• Which operating systems deliver the highest click through rate?
• Who clicks more: iPhone techies or BlackBerry executives?
• Is advertising in the evening better than at noon?




These and many other questions are answered in the full mobile research. With ever-expanding reach, higher performance, and evidence of solid ROI, mobile advertising can complement any display campaign.


To download the full research, click here.